New York City council expands paid sick leave legislation

New York – Nearly half a million more New York City workers will receive paid sick leave under recently passed legislation that expands the scope of a law passed last year.

Approved by the city council Feb. 26, the legislation requires businesses with five or more employees to provide workers with at least five paid days off per year for when they or a relative becomes sick.

Previous legislation, which became law last June, required only employers with 15 or more workers to provide paid sick leave for employees.

The new law will go into effect beginning in April, the same time the previous law was scheduled to take effect.

“Under this law, thousands of hardworking New Yorkers will no longer have to choose between taking a sick day or earning a paycheck,” NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press release.

Advocates for paid employee sick days suggest employees who work while sick can cost employers billions of dollars every year in lost productivity and infection of co-workers.